Thoughts on playing Pokemon Vermilion / Purple: The content is great, but don’t get stuck | 4 Gamers

If you want to say which console game has the widest audience in Taiwan, then the “Pokémon” series is second, and maybe few games can actually be ranked first. The latest series of “Pokémon” “Pokémon Crimson/Purple” was finally officially launched last week.

Starting from the NS generation, there is “Pikachu / Ibrahimovic”, “Arzeus” with slightly different gameplay from the original series, and the remake of “Crystal Diamond / Bright Pearl”. Compared to the last time it was not on the market, “Pokemon Sword / Shield”, which was rejected by many players because of an insufficient collection of Pokemon. Therefore, “Zhu/Purple”, which is the genuine work of the series this time, is already the fifth time of Pokémon on NS, but it can be said that it has given many players “real” expectations.

It can be said that this expectation satisfies in some places, but it is still a reason in some places.

A brand new wide world, but stuck

Compared to “Pokémon Sword/Shield”, there are still some places with fixed perspectives. This time “Pokémon Crimson/Purple” has reached a 3D perspective in almost every aspect, allowing players to turn at any time. The whole world is also a continuous map, all wild Pokémon can encounter enemies, and the new system of “Let’s Go” “pet walking” and speeding up battles are all part of progress.

In addition, like the previous Pokémon, this time “Pokémon Crimson / Purple” still has a multi-round design. After the first round of the main line is over, there are some second rounds of stories and plots, and then you can challenge the five stars For the crystal Pokémon above, collect a total of 400 Pokémon pictures, and finally form your team yourself and fight with other players.

In the part of the battle, the breeding conditions of the end game are simpler than in the past. The “too crystal” that changes the attributes of Pokemon will inevitably play a special role in the battle, and the future battle is more dangerous. and interchangeable. In addition, the PvE part also emphasizes the challenge of Taijing Pokémon, so “Pokémon Zhu / Purple” is a very playable game.

In addition, picnics and selfies with light content are also done quite well. Although it has little to do with the intensity of the battle, it is also a great interactive system for ordinary players.

But in such a world, it also revealed the old problem of GAME FREAK’s lack of technical ability, especially when fighting Pokemon, cutting pictures and dressing models will often be encountered.

And the worst thing is the delay caused by insufficient computer resources. I believe that every player who has played has obvious feelings. Although the performance of the Switch body is not high, whether the software is optimized or not, or how to “trick” the player’s eyes with various techniques is also very important (such as static rendering of the vision, or enforce certain rules to control). appearance on the screen. the number of objects).

The delay this time not only caused visual discomfort, but also caused the performance of the plot to be too slow, and the battle process even had to be extended. And because it happens quite often, I think that GAME FREAK is also aware of this problem, but there is no response so far. Obviously it is not an accidental mistake, but let it happen in reality.

On the map, the worst design is the city. This might be the first time to make such a world. Most of the buildings in the city cannot be entered, and in planning, they are mixed with the buildings that can be entered. a small map is not marked, and many of the appearances are not. It is easy to judge what is being sold. Although not all houses are required to have contents, it is clear that the “Urban planning” whole better design.

Challenge the open world, but many details are still missing

This time “Pokémon Vermilion/Purple” adopts an open world for the first time. This time the open world allows players to explore freely, and incorporates part of the “Arzeus” design. At the same time, it is more advanced. This time the desert area of ​​the previous “Sword/Shield” can be said to have been upgraded. Like Arceus, a real 3D world.

Shortly after the start, players will soon be able to receive the tasks from “Road of Champions”, “Road of Stardust”, and “Road of Legends” The treasure masters.

The order of these three paths is free, and it is also free to challenge which level in the three paths first. After finishing all three paths, the final and real main mission will begin. Conceptually, the arrangement was a success.

It is also highly recommended that the Pokémon trainers in the wild do not rush over to force trigger the battle when they see you, but the player will go to the dialogue to trigger it.

However, it is a pity that “Zhu/Purple” this time failed to introduce dynamic levels. This time the adventure starts from two directions, which makes it easy for players to go to one side in first, and run to the other side after a higher level. As a result, But it is a non-challenging dish.

In addition, because of the level problem, although it is said to be an open world, there is actually a rough order. After all, even if the familiar attributes are incompatible, but the level is too low, it is still not necessary. fight, which is a shame.

This time “Zhu/Purple” has taken a realistic style. The size of the world is really satisfying. Pokemon has also “slightly” added some ecosystems, and the characters have also added more personal facial features. You can also run online to every other world.

But it also created some problems. For example, character costumes are limited to costumes, small Pokemon are actually small enough to make people see their eyes out of the window, and the ecosystem is difficult to complete.

The story provokes more thought, but there is no voice

Although many people always joke that the plot of Pokemon is not important at all, it is true that because Pokemon is a general IP, it is not enough to write too much blood in the story. However, the story this time, I think most people agree that it is better than “Sword / Shield”, and even much better than some previous series, and maybe it gets calling it the highest in history at this time.

Among the three paths, “Champion’s Road” has the flavor of Pokémon passed down through generations. However, the design of the gym owner is more realistic. I believe that when many people see the appearance of the thunder gym owner and live broadcaster Qishu, “Dou Nei” is on the screen and they are very interesting. In addition, there is Aoki, an office worker for social animals, and other realistic gym owners, unlike some previous designs that are more fantasy.

In “Road to Stardust”, the story of the villain “Team Star” this time explores the common bullying of the modern school. “Road of Legends” tells the bond between humans and pets, which is also a theme that is quite suitable for “Pokémon”.

And the last main line also has some very good performances. Of course, we will not spoil this part, and let the players experience it in the game.

The downside is that it’s already 2022, and I’m still not doing the dubbing that I don’t want to lose. As each generation’s plot continues to deepen, I think many people will think “it would be better if this plot had a voice” when playing the game.

It’s true that Pokemon is a multimedia IP, so once a voice actor takes over a role, it can mean a long build period (as well as games and other animations and audio products). Another possibility is that the plot was revised many times until the last moment. But these are definitely not insurmountable problems. Even the Qishu promo video before the release can be dubbed in Chinese and Japanese, but it becomes mute after entering the game.

I can only say The Pokemon Company and GAME FREAK, everyone has bought a lot, right?

In summary, “Pokemon Crimson / Purple” has indeed met the expectations of the players for the ninth generation to some extent, and has made some progress in the four main elements of Pokemon.

But it’s a shame that the details in the game still reveal the old feeling, especially the delay caused by insufficient resources. If auto save is not used, it can even cause a crash and the progress of the game will be wasted

In the “Arzeus” experience, the editor once mentioned that after the NS generation leaves the comfort zone of pure handsets, it will be a big challenge for GAME FREAK. Obviously, GAME FREAK is still on the way to catch up with other players in the industry despite being one of the most profitable IPs in the world. We can only hope that GAME FREAK can accumulate more experience and assets in the Switch generation, and recreate a famous RPG game in the next generation.